Jeep Compass: common faults & what to check

Which Jeep Compass are you looking at?

4 generation variants documented. Pick the shape you recognise: the faults, the servicing and the timeline below all narrow to it. Free, no account needed.

Petrol

4 variants documented

2007–2016MK2007–2016MK2.0 petrolPetrolDocumented issues7 knownSee faults & what to checkPhoto: Vauxford via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.

2007–2016MK2007–2016MK2.4 petrolPetrolDocumented issues7 knownSee faults & what to checkPhoto: Vauxford via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.

2018–nowM62018–nowM61.3 turbo petrolPetrolDocumented issues6 knownSee faults & what to checkPhoto: Kevauto via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.

2018–nowM62018–nowM62.4 petrolPetrolDocumented issues6 knownSee faults & what to checkPhoto: Kevauto via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Now narrow it to the engine

A 1.8 and a 2.4 of the same car do not fail the same way, so the faults below narrow to the engine as well as the year. Free, no account needed.

Start your free check on this Jeep Compass

No plate needed. You get the risk score, the buyer's checklist and the guided inspection for the exact car you picked above — not the whole nameplate.

The checks worth doing on a Jeep Compass before you hand over any money. Every documented fault is listed below, each with its own page.

• Serious issue

  Test drive with multiple hard acceleration runs from low speed — check for slipping (rising revs without vehicle speed increase).

  See why

  JATCO CVT Belt Slippage and Failure

  First-generation Jeep Compass models (MK, 2007–2012) fitted with the JATCO CVT transmission are subject to a well-documented belt-slippage and transmission failure issue. The CVT push-belt and pulley assemblies wear prematurely, particularly under load or towing. Chrysler faced class-action litigation in the USA over these transmissions. Symptoms progress from slipping under acceleration to complete loss of drive. Replacement CVT units are expensive. Many NZ/AU used examples have been repaired, but recurrence is possible if replacement is not OEM quality.

  What you would notice

  • Transmission slip — engine revs rise without proportional vehicle acceleration
  • Shuddering or vibration under moderate to hard acceleration
  • Hesitation pulling away from standstill
  • Transmission overheating warning
  • Complete loss of drive in severe failure

  Typically $4,500–$9,000 to put right.

• Serious issue

  On the test drive accelerate firmly and confirm the revs and speed rise together with no slipping or whine.

  See why

  CVT overheating and failure (MK)

  The MK Compass's Jatco CVT is its most serious problem — it's prone to overheating and failure even with servicing. Symptoms are slipping (engine revs without matching acceleration), whining, delayed engagement and, in bad cases, complete failure that can strand the car. The 2011 model year was the worst. On a used MK Compass, a healthy CVT is the make-or-break item.

  What you would notice

  • Slipping / revs flare without accelerating
  • Whining or grinding from the transmission
  • Delayed engagement into drive or reverse
  • Overheating warning / limp mode
  • Judder at low speed

  Typically $3,000–$6,000 to put right.

• Serious issue

  Start it more than once, and from cold.

  See why

  Integrated power module failure — no crank, no start, and unrelated electrical faults

  The totally integrated power module is the Compass's central fuse and relay box, and when it fails it takes a great many unrelated things down with it. Owners of 2007, 2008, 2010 and 2011 cars report vehicles that will not crank or will not start at all, and the module is a repeatedly named cause. Because everything electrical passes through it, a failing module can also produce a scattering of symptoms that look like separate faults — a fuel pump that will not prime, wipers or lights behaving oddly, a horn that sounds by itself — and chasing each one individually is how people spend money without fixing anything. That is the useful thing for a buyer to know: several odd electrical symptoms at once on this car point at one part, not at a car falling apart.

  What you would notice

  • Car not cranking, or cranking but not starting, intermittently
  • Several unrelated electrical faults appearing at the same time
  • Fuel pump not priming when the ignition is switched on
  • Wipers, lights or horn operating on their own or refusing to work
  • Clicking from the fuse box area when trying to start

  Typically $700–$2,600 to put right.

• Costly issue

  Drive in mixed conditions and note harsh shifts, hesitation or any power drop.

  See why

  9-speed automatic jerky shifts and loss of power (M6)

  The current M6 Compass's nine-speed automatic draws frequent complaints for jerky shifts, hesitation and occasional loss of power, often appearing around 30,000-50,000 km. It's the same family of gearbox that gave the Cherokee KL trouble. Software updates address some of it; assess shift quality and confirm updates on a used example.

  What you would notice

  • Jerky or harsh shifts
  • Hesitation when accelerating
  • Momentary loss of power
  • Clunk from park to drive

  Typically $400–$6,000 to put right.

• Costly issue

  The drive tells you most of it.

  See why

  Front control arm bush failure at moderate mileage

  Owners report front control arm bushings failing at relatively low mileage — commonly around 90,000 to 95,000 km, which is early for a suspension bush and early enough that many buyers assume the car must have been abused. The rubber in the bush breaks down, the arm is no longer held precisely, and the car develops a knock over bumps along with steering that feels vague and wanders on a straight road. It also chews front tyres, so the bill often arrives with a set of tyres attached to it. None of this is dangerous immediately, but it is a real cost and it is very easy to detect from the driver's seat, which makes it one of the more useful things to test on a Compass of this age.

  What you would notice

  • Knock or clunk from the front over bumps and speed humps
  • Steering feeling vague off-centre, or the car wandering on a straight road
  • Uneven front tyre wear, often heavier on one edge
  • Shudder through the steering wheel under braking
  • Visible cracking or splitting in the rubber bush

  Typically $700–$2,000 to put right.

• Costly issue

  Test the infotainment, reverse camera and all lights thoroughly.

  See why

  Infotainment, camera and no-start electrical faults (M6)

  The M6 Compass has notable electrical complaints: Uconnect infotainment glitches and screen delamination, blank/black rearview cameras, headlights cutting out, and a no-start condition some owners hit while the car was still fairly new (around 40,000 km). Mostly not safety-critical but a poor look on a modern car and potentially costly out of warranty.

  What you would notice

  • Infotainment freezing, rebooting or delaminating screen
  • Rearview camera black or blank
  • Headlights turning off unexpectedly
  • Intermittent no-start

  Typically $200–$2,000 to put right.

Jeep Compass service schedule

What falls due, and at what distance, for each generation of the Jeep Compass. These are the model’s intervals — the car’s own service book is the only thing that can tell you what has actually been done to it.

What these repairs cost on other cars

Some of the Jeep Compass’s documented faults are repairs other models share. Each page lists the documented NZ cost for every model it affects.

• CVT Gearbox Repair Cost

Other Jeep models